THE CONTEXT

In many parts of India, thousands of children from government schools, orphanages, and colleges come from low-income homes. Their parents struggle to make ends meet. Many students drop out of school as their families cannot afford to pay fees as well as provide food for the family. 

Many students from such homes come to school/ college hungry. Hunger makes it impossible to focus, learn, or dream. Classroom hunger affects children’s ability to learn and grow. To solve this challenge, Akshaya Patra began the Food for Education initiative and impacted the lives of lakhs of children across India. Now, Akshaya Patra is planning to establish a centralised kitchen in Kerala to impact children in government schools, orphanages, aided colleges etc.

THE INITIATIVE

Support the construction of Akshaya Patra's first centralised kitchen in Thrissur, Kerala.

Funds required: INR 11.10 Cr

Pic: Shows the proposed elevation of the kitchen.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation in partnership with the Kidney Federation of India (KFI), has decided to construct a centralised kitchen in Thrissur on a 1 acre land. This will be the first Akshaya Patra Kitchen in Kerala. The kitchen will serve government schools, orphanages, colleges, and other institutions in the surrounding areas. 

Designed as a centralised, large-scale facility, the kitchen will be equipped to prepare 10,000 meals while maintaining high standards of hygiene, safety, and nutrition. 

Kidney Federation of India (KFI) will provide the land on a long-term lease arrangement of 30 years, at no financial consideration to The Akshaya Patra Foundation. 

If full funding for the kitchen has been secured, funds received through this campaign will be directed to meet operational expenditure (RevEx).

The infrastructure will include dedicated cooking, storage, washing, and distribution areas, allowing the kitchen to operate efficiently and sustainably while serving thousands of meals daily.

COST BREAK-UP

The total cost of construction is INR 11.10 Cr.

Click here to view the detailed cost breakdown. 

IMAGES OF OTHER AKSHAYA PATRA KITCHENS

FLOOR PLAN OF AN EXISTING AKSHAYA PATRA KITCHEN

ABOUT THE MEAL PROGRAM

Akshaya Patra strives to eliminate classroom hunger and aims to counter malnutrition and support the right to education of socio-economically disadvantaged children. By feeding them one wholesome meal a day, students get the nourishment and motivation they need to pursue an education for a better future.

Pic: Students enjoying their wholesome Mid-Day Meal in school.

All it costs is INR 3000 to provide hot, nutritious meals to a child in Kerala for a year. Children will receive meals for 232 days a year.

They will either given breakfast or mid-day meals. Children need nutrients so they can grow, develop, and focus on learning instead of thinking about the food they need. Ultimately, they need to be able to concentrate in the classroom so they can succeed in school and be prepared to enter the workforce as adults. 

YOUR KINDNESS MATTERS

We will forever recognise your generosity on the wall of gratitude, located at the Akshaya Patra kitchen in Thrissur. For those of you who want to fund large amounts, we would like to recognise your generosity so that your legacy will be marked for generations to see.

ALL FUNDING HAS 80G TAX BENEFITS.

ABOUT ME

My name is ANKITA. I am a concerned citizen. 

This campaign is extremely close to my heart. I have taken up this initiative because I think being able to impact the lives of children by giving breakfast/ mid-day meals would be incredible.

I believe that setting up a centralised kitchen in Kerala is the first step in improving nutrition and classroom focus. The cost to set up the kitchen is 11.10 Cr and this will impact children over many years. The kitchen has a capacity to prepare 10,000 meals each day. This will be a huge step to end classroom hunger and help students study better. The plan is to distribute these meals to government schools, orphanages, colleges, and other institutions in the surrounding areas. Once the kitchen is ready, the cost to impact one child for a year will be INR 3000 (232 meals). Each meal will cost just INR 15. 

Please support my campaign. We can together support many children and change their lives for the better. 

LOCATION

The first Akshaya Patra kitchen in Kerala will be set up at Thrissur.

ABOUT THE NGO

Since 2000, Akshaya Patra has been concerting all its efforts towards providing fresh and nutritious meals to children on every single school day. We are continuously leveraging technology to multiply our reach. The state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and have attracted curious visitors from around the world.

TAX BENEFITS

Funding for this campaign is eligible for tax breaks as The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a registered trust and you can avail of benefits under section 80G of the IT act. Funding from those with foreign passports is not eligible. If you are an Indian staying abroad you can fund this campaign. 

FEEDBACK THAT YOU GET

To ensure that there is complete transparency, I shall get a report from The Akshaya Patra Foundation (this takes between 1 to 3 months usually after the funds are raised and transferred to them) telling me about the progress of the construction. The details will then be posted on the UPDATES section of my campaign. As soon as I post an update, the platform will send an  EMAIL alert to all the funders - i.e. to you. Click on the link on the email and you can read about which child benefitted. That's transparent right.